Treatment compositions, such as fabric softener compositions, typically comprise benefit agents such as silicones, fabric softener actives, perfumes and perfume microcapsules. Generally there are tradeoffs associated with using multiple benefit agents in one treatment composition. Such tradeoffs include instability, as well as the loss or reduction of one or more of the benefit agents' benefits. A reduction in one of the benefit agent's levels can improve the performance of another benefit agent, yet the performance of the benefit agent that is being reduced suffers. In an effort to solve this dilemma, industry has turned to polymers. Current polymers systems can improve a treatment composition's stability but such improvement in stability comes with a decrease in freshness.
Applicants recognized that the traditional polymer system architecture was the source of the stability and freshness problems. In particular, Applicants recognized that traditional polymer systems did not contribute to the overall feel benefit that was desired. Applicants discovered that, for fabric softeners, in particular low pH fabric softeners, when a softener active reduction is coupled with the judicious selection of two polymers, one cross-linked and one with sufficient anionic monomer such that the polymer associates weakly enough with the softener vesicles to prevent phase separation but not so much to create aggregates that lead to phase separation, the composition's perfume effectiveness is improved, yet the perceived performance of softener active was surprisingly maintained. While not being bound by theory, Applicants believe that the proper selection of such polymers provides results in anionic carry over scavenging and a softener active that is in a more preferred state. Thus, the treated fabric's feel is maintained with less softener active.